In another high-octane Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference battle, Tuskegee (6-2, 5-0 SIAC) defeated Lane 35-31 in the Bluff City Classic, held inside of Crump Stadium to win their second Classic game on the year.
The game started off with a bang as freshman Mikael King (Tuskegee, Ala.) returned the opening kick 75 yards to start the opening drive for the Golden Tigers inside the Lane ten-yard line. However, after three straight runs an incompletion caused a turnover on downs at the Lane four-yard line.
Following a punt by Lane, quarterback Bryson Williams (Lithonia, Ga.) led a 11-play, 70-yard drive that was capped off by a six-yard connection with Deondre Harvey (Douglasville, Ga.) for his third touchdown reception of the year.
The Dragons responded with a 30-yard field goal on their next possession, and later took the lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the second quarter after a pick six from Walter Tatum to give Lane a 10-7 advantage.
On the next Golden Tiger drive, Williams found another target for a touchdown, this time freshman Antonio Meeks (Lilburn, Ga.) for a 58-yard score to regain the lead; however, it was short lived as Lane responded with another touchdown drive to go back up 17-14.
Lane gained a double-digit edge early in the third with one-yard run to go up 24-14, a score that remained until later in the quarter when Williams connected with Meeks again for a 30-yard score to pull within three points heading into the final frame.
After forcing a turnover on downs from the Dragons, Tuskegee found themselves leading 28-24 after a nine-yard scamper from Williams with just under seven minutes remaining. Lane responded with a quick score, traveling down the field with a 75-yard drive to regain a 31-28 lead.
After the extra point, Taurean Taylor (Scottdale, Ga.) came up with a 64-yard kick return, leading to another score on the ground from Williams five plays later to give the Golden Tigers the advantage once again at 35-31 for the final score after another stop by the defense.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Williams continued to be a dual threat offensively, going 12-for-17 through the air for 218 yards and three touchdowns, along with 40 yards and a pair of scores on the ground.
- Five different receivers. Caught passes on the day, led by Meeks with a career high six catches for 141 yards and two scores. Rodricus Magee (Jackson, Miss.) caught three passes in the win, while Harvey, Jonathan Montrevil (Miami, Fla.) and Corey Petty (Warner Robins, Ga.) all caught one pass.
- The Golden Tigers pulled out the victory despite rushing for just 81 yards on the day, after rushing for an average of 236.6 yards over the previous five wins.
- With the win, Tuskegee not only extended their win streak but gained a lead in the SIAC West standings, as they are currently the top team in the division with two games remaining.
- Vincent Hill (Fairburn, Ga.) led the way defensively in his return from injury with 11 tackles, including nine solos and two tackles for loss, followed by Malik Moore (Tallahassee, Fla.) with nine solo stops and Davir Hamilton-Jackson (Compton, Calif.) with eight total tackles. Meanwhile, Dynte Brown (New Orleans, La.) forced the lone turnover for the Golden Tiger defense with an interception in the third quarter, his first of the year.
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